


It's For A Great Cause

by TheFightingBull



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Auction, Bachelor Auction, Charity Auctions, Damian is not aged up and he is not part of the auction, Day 5, M/M, SladeRobin Week, So does Slade, So no worries, it really is for a great cause!, oliver queen loves messing with bruce wayne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-06 07:47:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21223064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFightingBull/pseuds/TheFightingBull
Summary: Bruce decides to volunteer his three oldest boys for the Charity bachelor auction! They aren't pleased. But then, neither is Bruce once he sees a collection of men who really, really shouldn't be in Gotham.





	It's For A Great Cause

Jason, Dick and Tim were royally steamed. Nothing about the situation was acceptable and yet their father shrugged them off as if they were being bratty, disobedient teens. Timothy was barely eighteen or he might not have been involved but as the other two were in the early to mid-twenties, they would have been forced into the situation no matter what.

“It’s for a great cause, I made sure of it,” Bruce informed them.

“This is going to be hilarious,” Damien snickered with an evil laugh.

“Watch it Demon-Spawn or I’ll end you,” Jason growled.

“Knock it off, Jason, he’s just trying to call our attention away from Bruce,” Tim sighed. “Either to get attention or to ‘protect’ his dad.”

Dick grimaced as Damien kicked Timothy in the shin. “Hey, hey, that’s enough of that,” he lectured as he grabbed hold of the youngest of his brothers while Jason rolled his eyes and grabbed hold of Tim’s bicep, preventing him from attacking further.

“Look, the Women’s Shelter could really use the funds and it’s not as if I’m asking the three of you to do something I’m unwilling to do myself.”

All four of his sons perked up at the information so casually dropped. “You’re going to let your self be auctioned off?” Dick asked with the start of a smile growing on his lips.

With a nod, Bruce continued. “It’s not as if we’re auctioning off your virginity, boys. It’s just a date, a date that can be as platonic as you all wish it to be.”

“So what do we have to do on this date?” Jason glared as he placed a hand on his hip, no longer placated and right back to being irritable.

“Apparently the organization has snagged up some opera tickets,” Bruce ignored the eye roll from Jason and the moan of misery from Dick. “You’ll also be expected to dine with the winner before the show.”

“Is it a group date?” Tim asked hopefully.

“Afraid not,” Bruce shook his head, understanding the disappointment for the shyest of his boys. Tim never had been one for dating or socializing outside of the other capes they all knew. He felt far more confident as Red Robin than he did as Timothy Drake-Wayne.

“So are only women going to be bidding, or can anyone bid on us?” Jason asked.

Happily, Bruce was able to give an answer that he knew wouldn’t upset his second ward. “Anyone over the age of eighteen can bid on any one of us.”

When Jason smirked and tossed up an “Oh, ok, then I’m in,” and immediately pulled out his phone, Bruce felt a pang in his gut. Any joy he’d had in offering reassurance to his only gay son was thrown out the window as he realized Jason was already plotting something for the event.

Dick bit at his bottom lip and sighed. “I suppose it’s not so bad, I just hope we don’t have to put with Tessa Bradley.”

A collective cringe ran through all four boys and their father. Tessa Bradley was an intense forty-seven-year-old socialite heiress. She proudly called herself the “sexiest cougar” in Gotham and was an aggressive flirt. While mostly harmless, her constant teasing and touching irritated most in her social circles. If it wasn’t for her ridiculous amount of money, most of the Gotham elite would have shunned her the moment she inherited her father’s fortune.

“Wow, Dick, thanks for the reminder,” Jason growled.

“Oh please, it’s not as if anyone’s going to want you. We all know Father and Dick are going to make more money than you two, and it’ll probably be Dick that gets stuck with her.” Damien tutted as his face fell into a pout. The boy was still very possessive of his oldest brother.

“Actually, there’s a possibility we could all be stuck with her since the dates aren’t being held on the same night.” Tim pointed out, once again drawing groans his brothers.

Bruce sighed and shook his head. At least they all seemed resigned to it.

* * *

When Bruce got off the stage, he put on the “Brucie” routine and winked with a double finger-gun point at the inappropriately young blonde who “won him.” The twenty-year-old girl clapped her hands and ran up to a man who was only a few years older than him and kissed him on the cheek with a loud “Thank you, thank you, Daddy!”

He hid his discomfort and reminded himself that the money really was for a good cause. They’d already made thirty-eight thousand dollars and he’d been the first one up to the auction block. He agreed with Damien. Dick was most likely to out-earn them by triple digits. He could see the masses of women and hear the constant buzz about Dick Grayson and when he’d be up.

Somehow, Jason had managed to talk to the event planner into switching up the order of the auction. He insisted he had to go last and said that Timothy should go before Dick to prevent him from feeling bad if he didn’t raise a lot of money. It was sound reasoning, he supposed.

Tim would likely be so distracted by whoever won that he wouldn’t pay much attention to Dick or Jason’s turn. Jason going last was also strategic, he was sure. Since the Wayne’s weren’t the only men on the block, going last meant Jason would get the least amount of attention from the women clamoring for a shot with a rich guy that they could actually drag to the alter.

Then again, as far as he knew, no body had realized yet that Jason was gay. He didn’t exactly date and he was too surly for the paparazzi to follow him the way they tried to with himself and Dick. Tim was eighteen now, that might not change for him since Bruce had sued most of the news media into leaving him alone while he was underage.

“Amber looks thrilled,” Alfred jabbed as he offered him a sparkling water with a small bit of yellow food coloring. To most guests it would appear to be the same golden champagne they were being served. “Well, done, Sir.”

Bruce rolled his eyes. “Yes, well, it’s for a good cause.”

“I’m sure,” Alfred deadpanned.

He was about to walk closer to the stage for Tim’s turn when he caught the sight of a rather tall man with an eyepatch near the silent auction items. He was dressed in a nice suit, black tie. Black everything. The mostly salt in his salt and pepper hair gave him away. Not many men could pull off the look of an anime pirate, but Slade Wilson did it with the greatest of ease.

He moved in his direction and stood just close enough to snarl. “What are you doing here, Slade?”

“I was invited, Mr. Wayne. Besides,” Slade grinned. “I hear it’s a all for a good cause.”

“Since when do you part with your money for the sake of charity,” He countered.

A mean grin crossed the older man’s lips. “I’ll admit I don’t give as often as I should, but to be honest, I heard a certain item was up for bid and I had to at least give it a go.”

Bruce looked behind Slade to see the only weapon he had agreed to donate to the benefit. It was a sword belonging to some nameless Roman soldier. He had one or two of them and Bruce really didn’t think anyone would outbid him for it. It seemed he might be losing the weapon to Deathstroke of all people.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Wayne, I’m not here to cause any trouble for you,”

“Or my sons?” Bruce raised a brow irritably.

“Dick and I settled our score years ago and I hardly know anything about the other three,” Slade shrugged. “Honestly, they’re not all that interesting, especially when compared to the original.”

Bruce rolled his eyes.

“And he’s sold! One date with Timothy Drake-Wayne won by Tessa Bradley for twenty-seven thousand dollars!” The auctioneer, a woman named Debra, announced happily.

“If I were you Bruce, I’d worry less about the sword’s fate and go grab a shovel. I get the feeling you’re gonna need it with that one,” Slade sneered as his crystal blue eye focused on Tessa Bradley.

He hated to admit it, but Bruce agreed entirely. He was going to need to set some serious ground rules with the woman and her touching. Jason and Dick could handle themselves, but he’d really hoped Tim would have been won by anyone other than the socialite.

By the time he finished threatening to throw her in jail for assault and harassment, Dick was finally stepping up to the stage. Tessa ran quickly to join the women in their cheers and like the ham he was, Dick winked and smiled and blew kisses.

Bruce smirked. He knew Dick didn’t really hate the idea of being auctioned for a date. He lived for the spotlight and he was genuinely one of the kindest, if not flirtiest, men he’d known. While his oldest was never crude or cruel in his flirting, he was often labeled a tease. Sometimes, he worried at the kind of attention he attracted.

The bids started rising quickly, going from the minimum thousand dollars and soaring well past Bruce’s own thirty-seven grand. Women and men all over the room bid. Even a few of the much older ladies threw in some impressive bids, giggling and blushing when Dick smiled or waved after.

Suddenly what Bruce could only assume was the real reason for Slade’s appearance, made itself known as Bruce caught sight of Oliver Queen in the crowd. He quietly and determinedly threw his hand up as he and Tessa Bradley starting bidding more and more aggressively back and forth.

Part of him wanted to deck Oliver Queen. Despite the so-called vibes people insisted they picked up from Dick, his oldest was not gay. Bisexual? Maybe, but to his knowledge he’d never shown interest beyond mild attraction to a man in his life. That Oliver Queen, that ridiculous hippy from California, would show up to bid on Dick was enraging.

He was only doing it to irritate Bruce, of that he was sure.

“Bid from the blonde gentlemen in the green suit going once,” Debra paused as she looked to Tessa, “Going twice,” Still no word or movement from an irritated looking Tessa. “Sold! For an impressive seventy-eight thousand, five hundred dollars.”

Loud applause rang out as Dick blushed furiously at Oliver Queen. Bruce moved quickly to his fellow Justice Leaguer. He grabbed the man roughly by the arm and dragged him out of hearing shot of the others.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Bruce demanded.

“Trying to get a rise out of you,” Oliver grinned. “Besides, I heard it’s for a great cause.”

Bruce rolled his eyes. “You keep your hands to yourself Oliver, or I’ll pull the funding from your Save Star City’s Marshlands charity.”

Oliver’s smile never left his face. “Don’t worry, Brucie, I’m not a complete prick. It just seemed important to save Dick from Tessa.”

“You should have stepped in for Tim,” Bruce scowled.

“I had planned on it to be honest, but I was late,” Oliver frowned. “Everyone like’s Tim, you know that. I thought he was supposed to be after, Dick. What happened?”

“Jason changed the line up to be last.”

“What an asshole,” Oliver rolled his eyes. “I can’t imagine he’s going to get much.”

“Watch it, Queen, you’re testing my patience,” Bruce warned. “Push me much further and I might not tell you about a certain supervillain walking the grounds.”

“Color me intrigued,” the blond smirked. “Who might that be?”

As Bruce turned to look for Slade Wilson, he frowned when he realized he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. The silent auction sheets were being gathered, which meant the mercenary really didn’t have a reason to stick a around. He’d be informed if he won whether he stayed to hear the official announcements or not.

“Doesn’t matter. He’s gone now,” Bruce decided. He didn’t need Green Arrow tearing it up in Gotham fighting Deathstroke.

“You’re an ass, probably where Todd gets it from,” Oliver huffed.

“Speaking of,” Bruce smirked as he sidestepped his ally. “I need to see how this goes.”

He walked without concerning himself with whether or not Oliver would follow. It really was a shame that Jason had switched with Timothy. Oliver could have at least protected Tim from Tessa Bradley. He couldn’t deny he was grateful that the West Coast billionaire had come out to assist in such a way.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we have our final bachelor! Jason Todd-Wayne is the second oldest son of Bruce Wayne. He enjoys riding motorcycles, rock music, and,” Debra blushed as she stalled and tilted her head. “And uh, being…Being taken for a ride?”

Bruce face palmed as Oliver Queen laughed beside him, along with several others in the crowd. 

“We start the bidding at one thousand dollars, do I hear one thousand?” Debra called.

“Ten thousand dollars,” A smug, nasally, male voice called out.

“Ten thousand five.” Tessa shouted before taking a drinking.

“Eleven thousand!”

The back and forth continued as Bruce frowned, walking toward the man. He had a feeling he recognized that voice and as he made his way, he saw him. Leonard Snart in what was likely a stolen suit. Who was in charge of the invites? Then again, this one he was fairly certain was Jason’s doing. He’d jumped on his phone immediately after realizing men could bid.

“I’m surprised,” A voice to his right said softly. He glared as he looked to Slade. “I’d always been under the impression that your second wasn’t very smart.”

“Excuse me?” Bruce growled, though he wondered how long before Slade’s presence was noticed by Oliver on the opposite side of him. 

“Unlike your other two sons, this one seems to have rescued himself from an awkward date as well being humiliated by a low bidding war.” Slade commented. “Or are you going to convince me that he didn’t hire Captain Cold to outbid everyone.”

On the stage they both looked up as Jason grinned and winked at Leonard Snart. Bruce didn’t mind Jason coming out publicly. What he minded was coming out with a known jewel and art thief. It might not be something people in the room knew about, but the reporters would certainly recognize him in photographs, and it would wind up all over the local news!

Where was Barry? Did he know one of _his_ criminals had made their way into Gotham? It was bad enough having Queen around, but he certainly didn’t want any of the Leaguers thinking Gotham was a damned free for all.

“I didn’t realize your boy was into older men,” Slade smiled openly. “Or criminals.”

“Stay out of the bid,” Bruce warned.

“I already spent a pretty penny on my new sword,” the mercenary snorted. “Who’d want to spend a dime on one of your dull brats?”

Bruce frowned as he nearly defended them to Slade. No doubt, it’s what he’d wanted. To get Bruce to insist his sons were in fact wonderful, interesting boys worth more than a sword. And they were. But doing so would have practically given permission to Slade to go ahead and make a bid on Jason.

“I’ll pay one hundred grand for him,” a woman announced to a collective gasp from the crowd. They all turned their heads in the direction of the voice to see a long legged, raven haired woman. For a moment, Bruce wondered if it was Diana, but as she came closer to the stage, he knew it wasn’t. He didn’t know the woman at all.

Debra gasped in surprise and Oliver whistled long and low. Jason looked livid, his teal eyes flashing to Leonard in an obvious attempt to get him to keep bidding.

“Poor girl,” Slade chuckled as he leaned in irritatingly close to Bruce’s ear. “Your bird won’t be able to appreciate her at all.”

“S-sold!” Debra finally banged her gavel as everyone applauded the woman and her lucky win.

Not at all to Bruce’s surprise, Jason jumped down from the stage and angrily walked over to Leonard. He moved quickly, Oliver beside him while Slade managed to disappear entirely. As he got close, he could hear the snarled whisper from Jason to Leonard. “What the fuck, Cold!”

“Sorry, street-rat, but I don’t have that kind of dough to toss around,” he smirked and then proceeded to tease Jason further. “You’re a bit too pricey for my tastes.”

“I told you I’d reimburse you, you ice capade reject!” Jason continued to whisper yell.

Leonard’s icy blue eyes found Bruce and Oliver, but he merely grinned and reached up to cup Jason’s angry red face. “Sorry, Red, but your father here and someone far scarier than all of you combined were watching me.”

Before Bruce could turn away and much to Oliver’s amusement, Leonard planted a soft kiss on Jason’s lips. “I’ll see you around, Street Rat, maybe I’ll take you on a date you’ll actually enjoy.”

Jason blushed brightly but didn’t offer an insult or quip to the back of the thief. Instead he watched as Leonard Snart made his way out of the charity event. Bruce didn’t think he was really leaving empty handed, but then he wasn’t about to make a scene. Most everything in the room was insured and he doubted Snart would make off with anything too important.

“You invited a thief into Gotham just to avoid a date?” Bruce growled, catching his son’s attention.

With a mischievous grin, Jason shrugged. “Sounds like I got my date either way,” he snickered. “besides are you really surprised?”

“I suppose not,” Bruce conceded.

* * *

Jason pouted as he sat in his room getting ready. He didn’t want that black-haired woman and he certainly didn’t want any advice from his brothers who were all seated in various spots of his assigned room. He didn’t live at the mansion of course, but when he did stay, his old room had remained his.

“You cheated!” Damien insisted from his perch atop the desk in the corner. “There’s no way you could rake in that much money just to go on a date with you!” 

“Dami, be nice,” Dick frowned.

“For once, I’m inclined to agree with the little demon,” Tim added as he crossed his arms. “He made sure he was the last bachelor, he called in Captain Cold to keep upping the bid! So, who is she really, Jason?”

“For the last time, I don’t fucking know!” Jason snapped as he turned away from the mirror to face them. “I figured Tessa would wait for Dick before spending all of her money, how was I to know the replacement was her type? I told Cold to come and bid on me, yeah, but obviously as you idiots saw, that didn’t work out!”

“You went from just under forty thousand to a hundred grand, Jason!” Dick frowned.

“Yeah, that was fucking awesome! I didn’t think I’d get more than you, but it was worth it just to see the look on your face, pretty boy!” Jason snickered.

Tim stifled a laugh while Damien growled like an animal.

“Oh please,” Dick rolled his eyes and Jason could tell that whatever irritation he’d held during the auction had long since passed. Dick was too good natured to stay competitive with him for long. The night of had been a little different. Dick glared and accused him of cheating just as Damien had done and demanded to know who the woman was and how Jason could afford that kind of money. “I could care less how much you got. Besides, it’s for a great cause, just like Bruce said.”

“Whatever, all of you get the fuck out!” He watched as they left and glared at the floor. Who the Hell was the woman that bought his time. She wasn’t a Gothamite, that was for sure. He almost hoped she was a supervillain, then maybe something fun might happen on the date with her. It wasn’t like he was getting laid.

Fucking Captain Cold.

* * *

Jason stared at the woman, wanting so badly to strangle the life out of her. They agreed to meet at the restaurant at six and she didn’t arrive until six thirty. When she did, she took a seat, winked at him and then refused to speak. To him, to the waiter. She just looked over the menu. For a moment, he genuinely wondered if she was deaf, so he attempted a small amount of sign language, but she shook her head and kept her eyes on the menu.

“Listen lady, you paid for this night so if this is really how you want to do it, why not just walk away?” Jason frowned.

“Actually, I didn’t pay,” she finally stated, but she didn’t look up at him either.

“Then who did?” Jason demanded.

“I did.”

Jason turned in his seat to see an incredibly tall man, nearly six and half feet! He had pure white hair, a matching goatee that was properly groomed and an eyepatch. He wore a nice three piece suit, charcoal gray in color. His body type was… pleasing. Muscular, in shape, and everything Jason liked in a man if he were being honest.

“Thank you, Irene,” The man said politely and pulled her chair out for her. Jason stood as she left, some bit of those manners Alfred taught him rising to the surface. “Jason Todd-Wayne, I presume.”

“You’re him, aren’t you?”

The man, who he was positive had to be Deathstroke, chuckled and then shrugged his broad shoulders. “Depends on who _him_ is.”

“Slade Wilson.” Jason clarified.

“Yes,” he smiled. “We’ve never officially met.”

“Should we be meeting now? Do I have a hit on me I don’t know about?” Jason asked, and while it sounded as if he were joking around, he was deadly serious. What other reason could Slade Wilson have to be sitting at the table with him.

A waiter came over, preventing the admittedly handsome man from answering his question. Slade ordered as if he had the menu memorized and Jason was so thrown and unfocused, all he could do was say, “I’ll have the same.”

As soon as the waiter walked away, Jason turned his gaze back on the assassin, waiting for an answer. “Is this a setup?” While he’d never met the man, he knew damned well that Slade was good at his job because he was an opportunist in every way. What better way to get up close and personal with a target than through a forced date?

“No,” Slade grinned and appeared deceptively relaxed. “I’m not here to gather intel or to kill you or anyone else in Gotham.”

“You expect me to believe you’ve no ulterior motives to dropping a hundred grand on a charity event? That you genuinely were looking for the pleasure of _my_ company?”

The older man closed his clear blue eye and tilted his head to the side. “Well, yes and no,” he answered. “I won’t lie. I spent a lot more money at that event than what was set aside for you. Your father will be severely disappointed once he realizes that more than half of the bidders were my proxies.”

As mean as it was, Jason couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. Poor Bruce. So many of those items were donated by him personally or by his foundation. Losing anything to a villain was bad enough, but he knew that Bruce and Dick both had a particular dislike for Slade that would make such a loss all the more painful.

“So, this is just about angering Bruce and Dick?” Jason smirked. It was hard to hide the bitterness in his tone though. One way or another, it seemed most things in Gotham never changed. It was all about Batman or the original Robin. He wondered how many people had even noticed that the second one went missing.

“Like I said, we’ve never met before and I felt doing so was overdue,” he shrugged his shoulders and Jason caught the rolling power of his body.

“Yeah well, there are plenty of other places we could have met.”

“But nowhere that you’d be forced to sit and talk with me,” Slade responded. “Let’s face it, Red. Your reputation precedes you.”

He couldn’t help but lift his chin a little at that. To know that a mercenary like Deathstroke thought him too much of a hassle to meet under circumstances that could be come dangerous was a hell of a compliment and an even bigger ego boost.

“So, what did you want to talk with me about?” He asked.

“Nothing insidious, I assure you,” Slade flashed an unreadable smile. “You and Leonard Snart… tell me about that.”

They were interrupted briefly as the waiter set down some bread rolls, some balsamic vinegar and oil, and then began to pour their wine. Jason was grateful for the waiter’s sudden appearance as it gave him a moment to get his thoughts in order. It wasn’t exactly a question he’d thought Wilson would ask. Why would he care? Or was this just an opportunity to gain information about the thief?

“Is he what this is about?” Jason frowned. “Do you have a contract on him?”

“Would you protect him from me if I did?” Slade countered before taking a sip of his wine, his lone eye smugly staring at Jason.

“Yes.” He saw no need to lie about it.

“For the reason I think?” Slade continued, watching Jason like a lion cornering it’s prey.

Jason leaned back, trying to relax and stay calm. “We’re just friends, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“_Just_ friends?” Slade asked archly.

“We’ve never fooled around either,” Jason growled. “What’s it to you?”

“He’s a bit long in the tooth,” Slade nodded. “Definitely not your type.”

Jason tried to understand what Slade was getting at. He knew it wasn’t a contract. He’d been silly to think it was. The mercenary would have been far more subtle if his end game was killing Leonard Snart. Actually, the more he thought about it, the more his interest seemed… sexual. Was he interested in Snart? He could see where they had a lot in common.

The thief from Central City was a perfectionist who planned his heists months and months in advance. He timed everything to the millisecond and created contingency plans that he required every member of his crew to memorize and follow through with. If any of them failed, they were either left behind or left frozen in place. Snart had zero patience for incompetence and Jason could see where a man like Slade would find that attractive.

“Did you want me to set up something between you two?” He asked, taking a drink of his own wine. He enjoyed the flavor and the gentle burn down his throat. Unfortunately, that made him want a cigarette.

“No,” Slade stated firmly with a shake of his head. “He’s… Not exactly to my taste. A bit too uppity and pretentious. That doesn’t seem to be your problem though,” Slade smirked as he turned the question back on him. “You looked very disappointed when he gave up. Doesn’t his age bother you?”

Jason laughed and shook his head. “I like him just fine and I’d be more than happy to get to know him more. He looks good and he takes care of himself. Anyone who knows him can see that about him, but you are right. He’s not quite my type. Unfortunately, beggars can’t be choosers.”

“So, what makes him not your type? The criminal thing?”

“Well, to be honest, he’s a bit… soft. For my tastes.” He tried to clarify but as soon as Slade barked out a laugh, he knew he’d gotten the wording wrong.

“Soft? Captain Cold is soft?”

“Not like that!” Jason rolled his eyes. “He’s not as old as you, you know. From everything I’ve known about him, his equipment works just fine.”

Slade tilted his head, his eye focused on Jason like he was plotting the next twenty questions. Considering his reputation, Jason figured that’s exactly what he was doing. “Then what _did_ you mean by soft?”

Taking a larger drink of the wine, he tried to think of how to word it without giving away his uncommon kinks. Jason was a “macho” type or what Barbara had teasingly called an “alpha-dog” type. He was big and strong, even capable of breaking the grip of Power Girl. But, his cravings weren’t easily sated since most gay men thought him too much.

He wasn’t sure if it was the wine or the conversation that heated his cheeks.

“He’s just… He’s not as…” He closed his eyes and forced himself to spit it out. “He’s not mean or domineering enough.”

“Captain Cold?” Slade doubted. “He seems like a control freak to me.”

“A laughably weak one compared to me. I couldn’t take him seriously in that role,” He admitted with what he hoped was a casual shrug.

There was a long pause in which Jason refused to look up at Slade. He didn’t know why he was spilling the beans to this guy. He’d given away a lot of information, sure it was personal, but hadn’t Dick warned him about Slade? That the man was capable of taking the most innocuous information and using it to blackmail, hurt, or even kill targets?

“I am a little surprised,” Slade said, interrupting his thoughts. “You strike me as more of a top in the bedroom.”

The statement felt leading but before Jason could think better of it, he grinned. “Maybe I am, maybe I just like to fight it out and see what happens.” 

“Now that’s something I do believe about you,” Slade paused only long enough for their meals to be placed in front of them. As soon as the waiter walked away after being assured, they needed nothing else for the moment, he began again. “From what I learned; you’ve been quite the pain in the ass since you donned that old outfit. “

“Seeing as we both know I wasn’t easy to raise, I’m not gonna deny it,” he allowed. “But I gotta know, what does any of this matter to you? Why are you so curious?”

“Perhaps I’m just digging up dirt,” Slade shrugged, but his gaze was too intense for it to be so simple. Jason was sure there was something else he was missing.

“My love life isn’t all that scandalous. Especially these days,” Jason snorted and looked down at his plate of food. It actually looked pretty good, but the intensity with which he was being stared at was starting to ruin his appetite.

“I’m sorry, Kid, am I making you uncomfortable?”

Jason rolled his eyes. “I think we both know the answer to that question.”

Another rumble of laughter and Jason felt an odd shiver. It wasn’t inspired by fear and the more and he watched the older man, the more he wondered if he’d gotten this all wrong. The questions…They were very specific. There wasn’t a hint of malice or ill intent, but Dick had often said that Slade didn’t give anything away.

Every smile, every sneer, every expression and every bit of body language was perfectly controlled by the assassin. Nothing was seen of him that he didn’t allow. He was the master of control and as manipulative as Bruce, though Dick of course hadn’t quite worded it like that. He liked to say that their mentor was a clever perfectionist. Jason got the feeling Slade wouldn’t mind being called a manipulative control freak.

“Are you hitting on me?” Jason asked, a soft blush heating his cheeks.

Slade swallowed his bite of food, his stomach clearly unaffected by their conversation. “You seem surprised.”

Jason nearly choked. “Why?”

“That you’d ask is very telling,” Slade frowned as his eye narrowed on the food before him. “And a bit sad. Don’t you know your worth, Kid?”

Jason’s shoulders hunched defensively as he crossed his arms. Of course, he knew his worth! He didn’t have low self-esteem. And yet, he couldn’t help but be suspicious of anyone who wanted anything to do with him. Especially men like Slade. Powerful, strong, rich, handsome, maybe even a little sexy.

“Of course, I do. Doesn’t change that fact that I’m not gullible like Dick. You’re up to something. Everything I’ve been taught about you insists that you are always on the prowl, like a fucking scavenger. You can’t convince me you don’t have an ulterior motive.”

Slade tilted his head and then his eye narrowed. “Do you _want_ me to have an ulterior motive?”

Jason made himself busy as he started eating… Huh. He had no idea what he was eating, actually. There some kind of meat in an orange, creamy sauce and a small pile of potatoes with a weird green paste. Off to the side of that was a collection of asparagus set atop another paste, that one bright red.

“I get it, you’re not used to being flirted with,” Slade grinned.

“Especially men like you,” Jason wanted it to come out far angrier than flattered, but he failed. He could tell by the smug raise of his eyebrows. It was the most self-satisfied expression he’d seen on anyone. “I didn’t think you were into men; I mean, I did when I thought you were into Cold. But you really don’t seem the type.”

“Don’t buy into stereotypes.”

He supposed that was a fair point. Jason certainly wasn’t considered a bottom by most of the gay men he’d met. They thought he was going to be violent, abusive kind of guy to be honest. Then again, Jason spent a lot of time drinking after fights that went badly and he did have a massive temper that frightened people. Not that he’d ever hit his lover… unless they wanted him to.

“So, you spent that kind of cash just to take me on a date?” He tried again.

“Well, pissing off Bruce and Dick will be a Hell of a perk, but yes. I dropped one hundred thousand dollars on your favorite charity, just to get you alone,” Slade’s grin was pure sin as he leaned in closer. “And just so we’re both clear, I’d like to end the night discovering who has more fight in them for that top position.”

Jason swallowed hard, his entire face in flames. He quickly reached for the wine to hide the nervous, giddy laughter that wanted to escape. He drank only a small sip; he wanted to be fully aware of everything that happened between them and a fuzzy mind would prevent that.

It might have seemed crazy, maybe even suicidal, but that suited him.

He couldn’t wait.


End file.
